Morneau traded to Pittsburgh

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Aug 31, 2013 at 2:17 pm

MINNEAPOLIS (KNSI) - The Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in a heated NL Central battle with the St. Louis Cardinals, have acquired first baseman Justin Morneau in a trade with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

The Pirates gave up outfielder Alex Presley and a player to be named or cash considerations in the deal.

The Pirates (78-56) are tied with the Cardinals for the lead in the Central entering Saturday's game in Pittsburgh.

Morneau, who has spent his entire 11-year career with the Twins, had a .259 batting average with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs in 127 games this season. His nine home runs in August are tied for the third-most in the majors.

Morneau, who has a career average of .278, ranked third on the Twins' all-time list with 221 home runs, trailing only Harmon Killebrew (475) and Kent Hrbek (293).